Report charts graduate wage rise

Graduate salaries have broken the £20K barrier

University graduates in Scotland can expect to earn a salary of more than £20,000 for the first time, according to a new report.

This year's average graduate wage was £20,354 compared with last year's figure of £19,872.

Glasgow-based management consultants Hay Group also found that Scottish companies were among the worst for graduate pay rates.

Inner London graduates are the best off with an average £24,333 salary.

The report found that only three other UK regions offered lower salaries than Scotland - the North West of England (£20,299), the West Midlands (£20,195), and Wales (£20,000).

Our cities are extremely busy and dynamic with many international businesses and successful home-grown companies with bases across the country, which makes Scotland a great place to begin a career Dr Lesley Garrick Hay Group

Dr Lesley Garrick, managing consultant of Hay Group in Scotland, said: "For a first job straight from university, a salary in excess of £20,000 is very respectable.

"Scotland is never going to match London in terms of numbers on your pay slip, but we have a lower cost of living which means that Scottish graduates can enjoy similar spending power to their counterparts in the capital."

Engineering graduates top the table for highest-paying jobs, with a starting salary of £22,197, above even the well-paid legal profession, which offers £20,620 for a first position.

Top dollar

Lowest-paid are graduates who work in customer contact centres, earning £19,172.

Lesley said: "The oil industry has always been very well-paid and that continues to be the case at all levels of the sector.

"Skills are in very short supply so organisations are always prepared to pay top dollar for talent.

"Good people in any sector can always expect to be rewarded though.

"Our cities are extremely busy and dynamic with many international businesses and successful home-grown companies with bases across the country, which makes Scotland a great place to begin a career."